Click here to view this email as a webpage.

PFAS have been detected in the Orange County Groundwater Basin managed by the Orange County Water District (OCWD), which provides 85% of the water supply to 2.5 million people. OCWD and its local water suppliers continue making significant headway on new PFAS treatment facilities with the goal of getting all wells back online by 2026 at a capital cost of $300 million.

25,809,112,523

gallons

of water treated

to date

*as of 12/31/2023

PFAS IMPACTS IN ORANGE COUNTY

=================================================================================================================

wells impacted

wells back online

wells under construction

wells in design

Important Happenings

Class Settlements with 3M and DuPont Preliminarily Approved

The U.S. District Court granted preliminary approval of the class settlements with DuPont and 3M for PFAS contamination in public water systems' drinking water. Both settlements are still subject to final approval.

Class members had until December 4 (DuPont) and December 11 (3M) to submit requests to opt out of the settlements. The Orange County Water District Board of Directors voted to remain in the settlement class.

In order to participate in either settlement and receive a payment, class members must submit a claim within 60 days after the pending effective date if they are a Phase One qualifying class member and by June 30, 2026 (DuPont) and July 31, 2026 (3M) if they are a Phase Two qualifying class member.

AWWA Launching Online PFAS Course

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) is launching a self-paced online course titled "Contaminants of Concern - PFAS" in early 2024. The course is aimed at water professionals and will cover a variety of topics including the relationship between PFAS and health effects, gathering and evaluation of data, treatment strategies, communications, and more. Additional information is available on AWWA's eLearning Hub.

OC Water Provider Highlight: City of Fullerton

Commissioning of Fullerton’s second PFAS treatment facility is expected to occur in January 2024 with distribution of treated water shortly thereafter. The facility, located at Fullerton’s Main Plant, can treat up to 5,000 gallons of water per day from two out of six onsite wells. This treatment plant is one of three planned PFAS treatment facilities in Fullerton, and the first in Orange County to use Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) technology for PFAS removal.

Make Your Voice Heard!

Orange County Water District has created a platform – through its PFAS Education Center - to help you take action in reaching out to the Orange County federal legislators about the importance of upholding the polluter pays principle and protecting ratepayers from the costs of treating PFAS in our water supplies. You can quickly and easily fill out this form to make your voice heard.

Legislative & Regulatory Updates

State to Send Out Monitoring Orders

The State Water Resources Control Board is poised to send out additional statewide PFAS monitoring orders this month, with an emphasis on disadvantaged communities as directed by the legislature. It is not anticipated to affect Orange County water retailers.

EPA Pushes Back Finalizing Regulations...Again

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still working through comments on their National Primary Drinking Water Regulation. The regulations will require public water systems to monitor for six PFAS compounds(PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, PFHxS, and PFBS), notify the public of their levels, and reduce the levels of these PFAS in drinking water if they exceed the proposed standards. The EPA originally set to finalize their regulations in 2023. A ruling is now anticipated in Spring 2024 at the earliest.

In the News

PFAS are not exclusive to Orange County or even California. States across the country are in the midst of tackling PFAS in consumer products, groundwater supplies and other forms of contact. Here's what's happening around the country:

Resources

SWRCB PFAS Updates

UCI PFAS Health Study

The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) supplies clean, reliable drinking water to 2.5 million customers every day. OCWD and the local water suppliers in its service area are committed to operating in compliance with all state and federal guidelines and regulatory requirements.

For more information about PFAS, please visit OCWD's PFAS Education Center.